Stopping By The Wood on a Snowy Morning

New snow came during the night, actually came in, last night as I was leaving work, with a vengeance. Hail, lightening, end of the world clouds and lots of wind. I watched the storm roll in all afternoon and I kind a wished the storm had held off for an hour or at least forty-five minutes but sometimes one has to play the cards their dealt with.

When I had left for work yesterday morning Dianne had made me promise her I would call her as I left the office I made the call but all I got was Dianne’s voice mail. I left as message and left the building. The wind was blowing sideways when I emerged from the office, zipped up in my two red coats looking like a fifth grader at least I did not have mittens connected by string. The snow was still partially hail, meaning the snow had not started laying down. The temperature was still dropping yet still above freezing. I had my hood up over my head, and my jacket zipped all the way up to my nose, keeping my head down as I made my way to the train station.

Is was not till I disembarked the trained that I knew that going was going to be more of a challenge then I had anticipated. The wind was still driving the snow horizontal to the ground but flakes were not hard little hail like balls but huge wet flakes looking like white feathers. I looked , a little hopeful, but I did not see the van in the “pick-up lot” so I took a deep breath and zoomed down the ramp, across the rails. The snow storm had traffic backed up, the commuters were late and seemed to be headed down 3^rd West, my usual route home. IO had to weave in and out of several cars, since many were crowding the asphalt I usually roll down till I get to a sidewalk I can access. As I worked my way down the side of the road, I head the horn of our van. It was Dianne and Ani, stuck in traffic. There was no way there were going to be able to get a spot where they would be able to deploy the lift and pick me up after which then would first, have to get back into to traffic and head home. I stopped long enough to tell them they needed to head for home and I was OK and would be OK and I would see them at home.

Ten minutes later Dianne passes me to inform that she is driving Ani home and be home as soon after as soon as she could manage. As I said the traffic was bumper to bumper as I rolled down third west but the vehicles began to thin out as I got to the intersection of 5900 south and third West. I felt I was being crowded as couple of jokers made a lane next to the actual traffic lane. I waved my arms as I wove in between the cars to be sure the drivers saw me and did no try a right turn right over the top of me. By the time I had crossed the tracks and turned on to our street I felt I was trapped inside a robber Frost poem, “… all quiet and downy flake”. There was a couple of cars but not too many. I was riding the crown down the center of the street almost having fun. I was intoxicated with the idea of being out in my power chair, actually going places where others could not for one reason or the other.

I was soaked when I finally pulled into the front door of the house. My shoes and foot plate were caked with snow and ice. I was not necessarily cold but I WAS glad to be in from the night’s storm. I pealed off my red jackets and hung them over floor vents to dry and grabbed a hair dryer and started working on drying out my wet pants. I was glad to be home.